Researchers find blocking enzyme in the brain may curb hunger

CHICAGO Researchers have discovered that blocking a single enzyme in the brain helped stop a key hunger signal in mice and made them eat less, lose weight and have better blood sugar control, according to Reuters.

The researchers focused on the enzyme CaMKK2, which plays a role in appetite stimulation in mice and humans. Found in the hypothalamus, it receives a signal from a hormone released in the stomach known as ghrelin, which is released when the stomach is empty.

The idea is to find a way to interrupt the activity by the hormone by toning down the CaMKK2 enzyme’s response to the hunger signal. The trouble, though, is to find a drug compound that would be able to cross the blood brain barrier, a special characteristic of blood vessels feeding the brain that filters out toxins.

This is similar to work being done now at Eli Lilly that is looking at enzymes to control hunger and diminish obesity. Lilly, however, is targeting the enzyme called GOAT, gastric O-acyl transferase. This enzyme is found in the stomach and is connected to ghrelin. Unlike the CaMKK2 work, the Indiana-based company’s goal is to block the signal is the stomach from ever reaching the brain.